Pure Reason Revolution made an unexpected but very welcome return with 2020’s Eupnea – but then internal changes, personal grief and a case of writer’s block made the future seem less certain. New album Coming Up To Consciousness allays those fears with a selection of powerful new material and a modified line-up.
Perhaps as a result of Pure Reason Revolution releasing two albums over two years, Jon Courtney suffered a frustrating interlude of writer’s block. Assuming that the obstruction could be cured by sharpening his chops, he began concentrating on the more tedious aspects of music theory.
“I spent a bit of time thinking that I really must improve my guitar and piano playing,” he recalls from his Berlin home. “I started trying to get better with music theory, thinking it would help with the new compositions. But it didn’t really seem to help. My sight-reading improved a little bit, yet it didn’t broaden the chords I was going to and things like that. Then I had a couple of experiences, which weren’t super-positive ones.”
The first of those events was the grief triggered by the loss of his 17-year-old and much-adored dog. “I think a lot of people will connect because they have dogs and cats, and have been through this,” he says. “We had to take the dog to the vet. You question if it’s the right time. I thought I was emotionally prepared for it, but I was way off the mark.”
That was followed by the second event: “Maybe eight weeks later, I had a possible brush with asbestos. I was doing this renovation work and it really tipped me over the edge. It was totally irrational. I really thought death was imminent.
“Shortly after that, I spoke to my father and he told me to get to the doctor’s and get some help. With some medication and some assurance that the asbestos exposure wouldn’t have any long-term effect on my health, it started to come down in layers. I also had a therapist who said, ‘As you’re coming up to consciousness, write down what you’ve dreamt about. Then also write down what had happened the day previously.’
“We did some analysis on that, which was interesting – and there was always something inspiring from the sessions. I met with Craig Walker, who was the singer in Archive and Power Of Dreams. I told him about my shitty few months and he was like, ‘You’ve just got to get this down into lyrics if you’re not inspired musically. It sounds like an album’s worth of lyrics.’ I went to the studio the following day, and the album started writing itself really quickly.”
Pure Reason Revolution’s latest album, Coming Up To Consciousness, is far from cosy listening. It conjures up often unsettling images of duplicity, anguish, mortality and therapeutic recovery. Disposable pop pap this is not; it’s as disquieting as it is musically beautiful. Indeed, Courtney is well aware of the contrast between the darkness of some of the lyrics and the hopeful, relatively laid-back sonic backdrop.
“Sometimes when I’m talking about the album, I think it all sounds really depressing,” he concedes. “But I always think there can be darker shades in the music, both literally and metaphorically. With Pure Reason Revolution, you can have quiet, beautiful passages, plus the juxtaposition that’s super-heavy. I hope a level of optimism comes across too – a level of hope that we’re out the other side of this difficult period.
“It was a really cathartic experience writing it and now I can look back on what was probably the most painful year of my life as a positive experience. I really take it as a positive and I learned a lot about myself. It took a lot of work to get here, but I’m grateful I had the opportunity to put it in lyrics and music for this record.”
The writing may frequently centre on Courtney, but there’s always input from the other band members. A handful of tracks were co-written with Greg Jong, who’s been central to their sound for two decades. Critically, the pair met in person to commence the process of creating new music, rather than relying on long-distance file sharing.
I enjoy more collaborations these days. I want this connection with people – the excitement you have with this instant back-and-forth
“First choice, for me, is always getting together in a room; and then second best is doing a Zoom thing or some kind of online session collaboration,” Courtney says. “Writing in-person is still irreplaceable, that’s for sure. I try not to go with too many ideas when I go to Greg, so we can really start something from scratch. I want it to be really organic when we sit down together.
“I sometimes like time in the studio by myself, but I enjoy more collaborations these days. I want this connection with people – the excitement you have with this instant back-and-forth. Being by yourself, it’s hard to get excited about your own ideas; you’ve got no one to bounce off. It’s a very small world when it’s solo time. I really cherish and relish having collaboration time.”
The band’s line-up has changed in recent years. Co-founding vocalist and instrumentalist Chloë Alper has effectively been replaced by Annicke Shireen (Shireen, Heilung). Such a move shouldn’t come as a complete shock, given that Alper was unable to tour to support 2022’s Above Cirrus due to other commitments, most notably as part of the live band for Manchester indie act James.
“Maybe over the last three to four years, Chloë had a very busy day job working in tech,” explains Courtney. “If you add to that a commitment with James for very large shows and for recording, she just doesn’t have the time. I’d started some demos; we had a chat and I asked if she would be able to do shows for this record, but she didn’t think that would be possible. It was like, ‘Well if shows aren’t going to be possible, then maybe it doesn’t make too much sense to sing on it.’
“It could be more confusing if she sang on it and then didn’t do it live. We just had a really good chat and decided she should sit this album out. We’ve remained friends. Annicke was available – we get on really well on tour and she’s great in the studio too. The door remains wide open for Chloë, so who knows what will happen in the future? It’s just at the moment, her schedule really makes it impossible.”
Both Alper and Shireen are polished vocalists; and, somewhat refreshingly, any lingering concerns among the fanbase appear to have been allayed once lead single Dig Till You Die was aired. “I think that the main sort of shock was when Chloë couldn’t do the shows for Above Cirrus,” reasons Courtney. “That was the first time we had any negative reaction. So perhaps for this record and Annicke singing on the first single, it wasn’t such a shock.
“There were a couple of slightly negative comments, but that was it. On the whole, the comments were positive and people loved the sound of the material. There’s no doubt Chloë has been a huge part of this right from the beginning. She’s also a big visual part of the band. But I want to go forward and I’m still excited to make and create music that’s still inspired. I didn’t want it to end just because someone is very busy with work.”
There’s also the involvement of renowned session man Guy Pratt, a regular collaborator with Pink Floyd, David Gilmour and Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets. Courtney, who adores Floyd, effuses with palpable excitement. “I saw a message from my friend Craig Walker, saying he’d just seen Saucerful Of Secrets in Berlin, and he’d met Nick Mason and Guy Pratt. I’d been desperate to see the band and somehow I missed it.
Guy Pratt would send over bass parts that would inspire new music, because I’d be so excited about what I heard
“I called Craig, who said he’d known Guy for a couple of years. We saw they were playing Leipzig – less than a two-hour drive from Berlin – so we went to that. It was a brilliant show, and I got to meet the band afterwards. A couple of months later I saw them in Seattle. I had a bit more of a chat with Guy and we agreed it would be fun to do a collaboration.
“When I’m recording, doing the bass is a bit of an afterthought. My main thing is, ‘Let’s make this song the best it can possibly be and make sure the dynamics are there – the beauty, the darkness, the light and the shade.’ The bass is not my forte, so to have someone who’s really a specialist at the top of their game is wonderful.
“Add the fact he played with one of your favourite artists – if not your favourite artist – then it really was incredible. He’d send over bass parts that would then inspire new music because I would be so excited about what I heard. So that really fed the music in an exciting way.”
The frontman also admits to a sense of nervousness when presenting the record to their label, ever conscious that contract extensions are never guaranteed. “I’ve always been very anxious when a record comes out,” he admits. “You know, worrying about if it’s sold enough and what the label thinks. What’s absolutely fantastic news is that since completion of the album, InsideOutMusic have taken up the option for the next one – before they have any sales results.
“If they like it, that’s good enough for them. They’re an incredibly supportive label, especially as this album is a slight step back musically. Who knows what will happen on the next record, though? Maybe it will be an all-out rocker or something.”
